Eranthis pinnatifida

Description

Eranthis pinnatifida makes a small tufted frill of much-divided, purple-bronze tinged leaves below a beautiful pure white flower. The centre of this consists of deep purple to navy-blue anthers surrounded by styles which have bright grapefruit-yellow, waxy tips.

A native of Japanese woodlands and doing well in light shade, in a peaty, humus-rich soil. It is not as easy, nor as tolerant, as the European Eranthis and it is not a plant that you can put out into the open garden and expect to see clumps of. It increases only very slowly (if ever) by offsets and increase is mostly by seed, which is a slow process. I repeat, it isn’t a clump-forming species, in addition to which it is substantially smaller and less self-confident than the yellow species in its growth and habit.

Please note that this species has TINY tubers, this is natural, it is a dwarf plant, small in all of its parts – a massive tuber for this one is not even as big as a small sultana.